


Lost Generation

by Mohawkeye



Category: Marvel 616, New X-Men: Academy X, X-Men (Comicverse), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Best Friends, Bisexual Male Character, Character Death, Character Study, Friendship, M/M, it basically reflects on the fucked up shit the new men have been through, m-day, teddy isn't bad just naive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mohawkeye/pseuds/Mohawkeye
Summary: A child prodigy suffers from to much pressure and expectations that follows them into their adult hood.Teddy talks about his annoyance with the mutants who hate the scarlet witch while David pretends he can't hear what he is saying. After all, she only depowered mutants, she never killed them.
Relationships: David Alleyne & Ashida Noriko, David Alleyne & Josh Foley, David Alleyne & Teddy Altman & Billy Kaplan, David Alleyne/Tommy Shepherd
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	Lost Generation

When David was in high school he went to the doctor because of a constant headache. His constant need to dream about the worst made him think it was a tumour. It was stress that caused headaches. He stressed so much it made his vision turn white and his ears cut out. Then he was on constant painkillers up until the incident, he couldn’t think enough for it to hurt. The pain came back when he worked at the call centre. And now, at the happiest time of his life, with all of his best friends back, a partner he didn’t have an on and off relationship with and a job that played on his strengths, the headaches started coming back. It was ironic that pain was the thing that marked his joy.

Now his head ached as he sat at a pub, laughing at a joke Billy said. He was sitting with Elijah (who he had met at the wedding and got along with), Billy, Teddy, Tommy, Cassie (Also fairly new to him), Ramone and America. It had been a hard day at work, but he got through it with a smile as he had lived out the previous night with all of his not-dead friends. 

News of Krakoa played on the TV that was perched high on the wall. Billy’s stare at David was lost to the TV's reflection on David’s glasses. He turned around to look at the moving headline. The rest of the table followed suit. The segment was about the marauders so David had no idea what possessed Billy into saying, “Krakoa isn’t going to end well.”

What pissed David off was how he said it, so calm as if it wasn’t even a real subject. David’s hand shook as it tightened around his full glass of beer, so full that the movement made it drip out and onto his hand. He reminded himself to calm down, thinking that he should hear out what Billy was going to say.

“I just think that if all the mutants are in one place it’s a target,” Billy claimed while looking at David. Nothing bad David, nothing bad. Billy wasn’t a telepath but always seemed to know what David was thinking.

Cassie leaned over the table, “There are so many powerful people there though…”

“There are also powerful people outside of the island,” Ramone whispered, looking more concerned than the rest of the table.

“What I want to know is how they got Magneto, Xavier and every previous villain on one island without it being torn to shreds!” Tommy yelled, a shrimp from the plate in between all of them hanging from one of his hands that were tossed in the air.

David took a breath, ready to explain how villains were raised to be evil but were no longer held to that pressure, about how everyone is united under their need to be with mutant-kind and many other wonderful theories he had but was stopped by Chavez who said, “They don’t have anything to fight about for once.”

“They do have powerful telepaths,” Eli insisted.

“Are seriously saying mind control? OVERDONE! If that’s true the telepaths need to add more originality and style to their utopia.” Tommy spoke, pointing a finger at Eli. He wasn’t being serious, David knew this. Tommy put his hand on David's back and rubbed it in circles, just to reassure him that he wasn’t being serious.

“I just don’t see how Daken and Wolverine are getting along.” 

David kept to himself throughout this entire ordeal. Until:

“Their thing against Wanda is odd,” Teddy mentioned.

David tried not to be too sarcastic or bitchy, remembering who he was saying this to, “Nothing you can think of they- we might resent her for?”

The hand on his back froze.

“They were depowered, not killed,” Teddy stated, picking up his cocktail and sipping from it.

Then David realised he should’ve stayed at the boneyard. He took a deep breath focusing on how the air felt brushing against his wet lips, focusing on anything but the rushing memories.

David didn’t argue. But if he had he would have mentioned his classmates. Teddy didn’t know about them, no one happily speaks of the worst times in their life. But had he seriously not heard of any deaths following M-day?

Everyone seemed all but done with the conversation until Ramone spoke, “I think some did die. She didn’t kill them directly but some bigots saw them vulnerable and attacked.”

“That’s not Wanda’s fault,” Teddy claimed, his big eyes sincere. “Have you seen what they think of her? They call her ‘the pretender’ and treat her like satan.”

When a woman hits the button to decimate mutants to near extinction, Teddy is there! Therefore the poor woman as those strange mutants never welcomed her with a smile! He was coming off to be the world's biggest support of Xaviers 'mutants need to break their backs for the humans’ method. Now David was thinking until his headache faded and then he couldn't think. All he could do was feel. 

His chest ached and he thought about the explosion he heard while he was still in Xaviers, too caught up in self grievance to say goodbye to the kids leaving. When he looked out the window of his and Josh’s room… 

David looked around the table. Ramone was nervously glancing at him, she was the only one who cared to look to the only mutant on the table when talking shit about a mutant nation. Teddy was staring blankly at the Tv while everyone continued with their conversation. David had been on Krakoa only two hours ago and he missed it. He couldn’t help but look at all these nonmutants and feel like… a traitor. Did he abandon his friends for this? Did he abandon the people he attended funerals with, grow with and die with just to sit with these people?

Tommy’s hand continued to rub circles into his back, grounding him into the moment. He realised he was shaking. His eyes flicked to Tommy next to him who stared back with a question in his eyes.

He leaned into him, “Do you want me to take you home?”

David nodded.

Tommy took the lead as the stood up, he took his jacket off his seat and said, “David and I are going to head out since we both have jobs to get back to in the morning.”

Tommy walking him back could result in bringing his mood up or making him cry in the middle of the street.

Billy leaned forward, smiling to show his crooked teeth. “You got the job?”

“Hell yeah.” Tommy gave a thumbs up.

They said their goodbyes, Tommy physically threw money at America and then they wandered outside the bar. Tommy put his arm around David’s waist and led him down a street. They walked in silence until Tommy spoke, “You okay man, You were kind of quiet back there.”

Of course, Tommy would talk about him being quiet as opposed to him shaking. “Right, because I’m such a loudmouth.”

“You're loud alright,” Tommy murmured, pressing his thin lips to David’s jaw. “I bet the neighbours know my name.”

Tommy jumped away, chuckling to himself while David looked to the ground. Tommy’s laughter cut out abruptly. “Shit, Did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, baby, I-.”

“No, I’m fine,” David assured him while taking a hold of his hand. David loved Tommy but he was sometimes oblivious when it came to feelings, whether it was his own or someone else's.

It was cold enough to make him shiver. He was always told he was too skinny and didn’t carry enough to heat him. Sure he was gaining muscles but he still could never get rid of his skeletal physic easily. Without saying a thing Tommy took his jacket off and put it over David’s shoulders. David leaned over to him and kissed his cheek.

Tommy smiled looking down with his arm over David’s shoulders, “So, you're still coming to my place tomorrow night?”

“As soon as I hit the weekend I'll be right back here with you,” David promised.

Now they stood at a Krakoan gate, David handed Tommy his jacket and kissed him on his cold lips. Then he walked through the gate to an island set to sunset. He was exhausted but being on the island raised his mood. Soon he was in front of the boneyard when Elixir, Goldballs and Hope wandered outside of it. They looked blank, the look they had while psychically talking. Josh was the first to speak to him.

“You okay man?” Josh asked hesitantly, “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” David commented. He didn’t feel like he looked that bad.

Josh nodded, “So I’m supposed to go to see Surge, Wind dancer, Wallflower and Icarus for video games tonight and was supposed to text you but I forgot but that doesn’t matter because I'm here now.”

“Pass.”

David took a step past him but Josh jogged backwards, watching as Gold Balls and Hope continued to walk their way home. “Please? I need to get out of the house but I don’t want to go alone.”

“Alone? They're your friends.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t.”

Josh sighed, “Look buddy, I think we both need to stay in touch with Sofia this time around.”

David stood at the door, looking back at rare josh that looked almost exasperated. David hung his head low when he turned around and walked to Josh. Josh smiled and grabbed onto David's wrist to all but drag him to the new x-men's house. David tapped Josh on the shoulder and in response he said, “Yes, now!”

He nodded to Vic as he wandered along with the house still being dragged by Josh. Vic looked at him confused. He was next to a man with grey skin and… gargoyle-Esque (for lack of a better word) features. Not only are all of them back in the land of the living (minus blindfold and Santo may they rest in peace) but there are more than he remembers. 

Josh brought him to a room where Icarus was setting up a game system to the TV. When he saw David he stopped what he was doing to stand up and hug him. David didn’t normally hug his friends whenever he saw them but he adored how Jay would rap his wings around him. Also this time of year he was moulting and the fluff on his wings was so soft. “I’m so glad you guys could make it.”

“Hi,” A small voice called from the other side of the room. Laurie sat there on a bed. This had to be her place, David was sure Jay was staying with the Guthries.

He leaned over to her and gave her a fist bump before sitting on the edge of her bed. Watching as Josh and Jay set up the game. 

Soon Nori and Sofia walked in, holding popcorn and one case of Pepsi. They all lined up at the bottom of Laurie's queen-sized bed, facing the Tv with remotes in hand. They played for a while as Jay talked to them about his family and any other subject he could think of. Around 9 Sofia put the remote down and leaned against Jay's shoulder. The group kept their voices down. Then Laurie followed her lead and leaned against Jay’s other shoulder. They both slept as Jay put his wings over their shoulders and soon fell asleep himself.

He could hear nori beginning to snore on the other side of Josh so David spoke, “What’s wrong?”

“Hm?”

“You said that they weren’t your friends and now you aren’t talking to them at all.”

Josh looked down at the ground, his eyes overcome with shadows. Josh had long outgrown the blackness that used to come onto his skin and grow, he had learnt how to stop it. His skin can be gold, black or caucasian at his own will now. Despite knowing this, David wholeheartedly expected for the black spots to show up.

“I feel different from the rest of the new x-men.” He paused as David put his hand on his arm. “I’ve done some shit since highschool…”

In the background, David heard a character die but neither were watching the screen anymore, they just stared at each other.

David decided to move the conversation on. His eyes raked over Nori who had her neck thrown back on Laurie's bed, eyes closed with her controller dangling in her hand. Since this was the time for confessions he turned to Josh and said, “I’m dating someone.”

“Who?” Nori’s head snapped forward and her eyes flung open to stare at him from over Josh.

Josh chuckled, “Were you seriously pretending to sleep?”

“Not important.” Nori stared at David. “who?”

David stared at her while Josh laughed with his hand over his mouth to not wake up everyone else. His mind flung between ‘she’s nervous about me dating someone else’ to ‘she’s pretending to because she thinks it’s funny.’ One means she is worried about changing the other would mean she is ready to move past their histories problems. Both mean she cares about him still. Whether that’s as a friend or more he doesn’t mind because she cares.

David took his 2%-away-from-death phone out of his pocket and went through his camera rolls. He chose a pic of Tommy to hold out in front of them, looking away in nervousness.

“Quentin Quire?!” Josh exclaimed.

“I think that’s the guy who tried to sell me vapes?” Nori stated, squinting at the picture.

“What?” David said as he took the phone back. He had to of accidentally swiped because a meme about Quire was on the screen, he swiped back and held out the new photo. “Wrong photo.”

“That’s a guy,” Josh said.

“I’m aware.”

“I thought you liked girls?”

“I do.”

“So your not gay or straight?”

Nori was being silent, but when David looked at her she was smiling at Josh and his antics. She doesn’t have a problem with it. Why would she? When they were younger she was even bicurious. Of course, he never stuck around with her long enough to find out if she was bi or not.

“Yeah, It’s a shame there isn’t any sexuality involving men and women.”

Josh rolled his eyes, his confusion gone. “No need to be snarky about it man.”

Then there was silence. Then Nori spoke, “Why do you think the x-men never ask for hellion or I’s help? We were supposed to be the best from our generation but they…”

“They only keep us in the x-men for pity's sake,” Laurie whispered.

“Go back to sleep,” Josh whispered.

“No one ever got over the deaths from M-day, and they are still caught in a cycle of detachment while they wait for us to die,” David spoke. Not whispering as he knew everyone was already awake. “They aren’t wiping us under a rug, they're waiting for us to fall back into our graves.

Everyone stared at the Tv and continued to when the game ended on a black screen. The words KO presented. David fell asleep. Surrounded by his friends who would cry if they had any tears left.


End file.
